Luck be a Lady
by Chi Yagami
Summary: [active] "A ladybug never leaves her escort. It isn't fair; it isn't nice. A ladybug doesn't wander all over the room and blow on some other guy's dice." Oh, why couldn't Adrien whisper such things into her ear like this? Then she remembered that Adrien didn't like her, and she was stuck with an overly flirtatious feline instead.
1. Uno

:: :: ::

* * *

Her last year at Collège Françoise Dupont was off to a bad start.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had never considered herself particularly lucky. Now, by all accounts, she knew that she had a great life. She had two wonderful parents, an amazing best friend, good grades, a nice house… so by some accounts, she probably _should_ consider herself lucky. But all good things aside, when she factored in her clumsy, forgetful, impatient personality, she considered her life to be pretty average for a fourteen-year-old girl.

However, the first week of her third and final grade of middle school had Marinette questioning if perhaps she picked up an unlucky charm somewhere.

Her first brilliant mistake had been procrastinating the summer reading list. The list wasn't at all long, but every time her parents asked about homework, Marinette had a ready excuse to hold it off. The beach, a lunch date, perfecting her baking skills, a fashion show, the excuses were endless. Now, she _had_ actually read two of the three books. The two shorter works, of course. Still, it was better than not having read any of them. Besides, how was she supposed to know that there would be a pop quiz on the first day of school?

She had also woken up late. Not late enough to be late for class, but Marinette had wanted time to pick out the perfect outfit, eat breakfast, walk leisurely to school… Well, she had time for _one_ of those things. She had practically jumped into a pair of shorts and a white button-down blouse, grabbing a black blazer and racing down the stairs. Her mother was waiting by the door, backpack and fresh croissant ready. Marinette snatched them up with gratitude and all but flew out of the bakery. She ate the croissant greedily as she ran to school.

Okay, so her day was off to a rough start by her _own_ fault. She should have read all the required books, and she should have set a second alarm after staying up late the previous night watching a movie. Though honestly, it wasn't her fault that _Titanic_ was over three hours long! And she couldn't just go to bed on time and _not_ finish it…

All right, maybe she could.

Awful morning aside, everything else that happened that week… Marinette attributed to the stray black cat she saw while stuffing her face full of croissant that first morning. It all went downhill from there.

* * *

She made it to school on time, but her new locker wasn't easy to use. The previous user had jammed it one too many times, and the door now required some extra jiggling to open. After depositing everything except her Civics and French textbooks, Marinette headed off to her classroom; it was just down the hall from the fourth grade classroom she'd been in last year, so at least she had no trouble finding it.

She immediately recognized Chloé Bourgeois's blond head from across the room. Marinette groaned slightly; why couldn't she get a break? Why couldn't she have one year without that brat in her class? Chloé was mean, spiteful, and full of herself. She'd had it out for Marinette ever since the poor girl had accidentally spilled paint on her new designer shoes back in sixth grade. And while that had been three years ago, Chloé had never let her forget it. Although the rich, daddy's-little-girl was rude to everyone, she was nastiest to Marinette.

Chloé was sitting in the front row on the far side, next to her best friend, Sabrina Rogers. Well, Marinette supposed 'best friend' was a stretch; Sabrina was more like a minion or underling. The girl did everything Chloé asked, from her geography homework to sharing test answers. If the Bourgeois family hadn't been wealthy enough to afford servants, Sabrina would probably be doing laundry, too.

Fortunately, all of the seats on that side of the room were taken, so Marinette wouldn't have to sit directly in the queen bee's line of fire.

Unfortunately, there weren't many seats left on the near side of the room, and Marinette had to sit near the front where the teacher would have a good view. She wouldn't be able to doze off or text in class or doodle in her sketchbook without being very careful.

Her only saving grace was Alya Bloc, her best friend in the entire world.

Marinette slid into the chair next to Alya, relieved to find that they were in the same class again. Also, they were sitting in the second row, a slight improvement from the immediate front. The first row was only occupied by Nino, Alya's video partner-in-crime (and secret crush, Marinette loved to argue). To her disappointment, no one was sitting next to Nino, meaning the teacher would have a _perfect_ view of anything Marinette was doing during class.

"You couldn't have picked seats further back?" she huffed at her friend.

Alya raised a challenging brow. "Look, you want better seats? Get here earlier."

"Oh whatever, you probably just wanted to sit behind Nino–"

"Oh, shut up," Alya argued, kicking Nino's chair when he tried to turn around and join the conversation. "No need to inflate his ego any further; his head's already a hot air balloon."

"Hey, hey," Nino chimed in, turning around despite another swift kick from Alya, "the only reason my head might be big is because it's full of big ideas. Did you see all the cool shots I posted over the summer? My demo reel is getting so cool!"

As Nino and Alya dove into a conversation about their respective video blogs, Marinette took the time to finally catch her breath after a hectic morning. She hoped that her misfortune was over.

It wasn't.

Her best friend nudged her with an elbow. "Mari, did you see the amazing footage I got of Chat Noir last night?!" Alya was gushing.

Marinette's face flushed. She was terrible at keeping up with Alya's blog, especially now that the girl was posting one or two videos _a day_. It had been hard enough for Marinette to remember to check the site when Alya had been uploading short clips once a week, even though she had bookmarked the link. Now she was overwhelmed any time she actually _did_ remember to visit the blog, being greeted by five or six new and long videos. So no, she hadn't seen the fresh footage Alya posted last night.

"Chat who?" she asked, raking a hand through one of her black pigtails and racking her brain for clues. Alya normally posted slice-of-life videos or interviews. A policeman rescuing a cat from a tree. Old Mrs. Chevalot sitting in the rocking chair on her porch. Art life, as Alya liked to call it. Marinette liked to call it boring. Perhaps this latest piece was another cat being rescued from somewhere.

" _Chat Noir_ , girl! You know, that dashing feline vigilante?" Alya prodded.

Nino coughed. "I think you mean, average-looking superhero-wanna-be."

"He's doing his best," the redhead argued. "He's just a bit clumsy, if you ask me."

"More like unlucky," Nino replied. "I mean, he's basically a male version of Catwoman … without the stealth or skills or reflexes. For someone dressed as a cat, you'd think he would learn how to land on his feet."

"I'm sorry, who?" Marinette asked, trying to pay attention while keeping an eye on the teacher. She was dimly aware that said teacher had arrived and was talking to someone. She heard the words 'new student' thrown around and saw the teacher gesture towards the empty chair next to Nino, but she was pulled back into the conversation when Alya thrust a cell phone in front of her face.

"Oh, come on, Marinette, you _have_ been watching my v-log, right?" she asked accusingly. "This is my third video of him."

Marinette watched the cell phone closely as Alya played out her latest video. The screen was fairly dark, since it had been shot after sundown, but she could make out rooftops. Alya was shooting up, from the ground. Someone was running across the buildings. Someone dressed in black, with a long tail. The light from the street lamps reflected on his gold hair, but she couldn't make out much else. He ran for a while, before tripping and falling onto a balcony below. Marinette heard several flower pots break, before a light turned on inside. An old man appeared at the door… and then came outside and began hitting the cat-person with a broom!

"Yeah, not exactly the most balanced cat," Nino scoffed. "Just last week, he tried to save that runaway baby carriage and caused a huge wreck in front of O'CD! I thought I was gonna die!"

"You went to O'CD again?" Alya asked, exasperated. "Don't you own enough records?"

"Nope," he replied simply, smiling at her. Marinette stifled a giggle at the cute look Nino was giving the redhead. Alya just rolled her eyes.

"So this Chat guy," Marinette continued, barely noticing the scrape of the chair in front of her on the floor. "He's trying to be a superhero?"

"Girl, he IS a superhero," Alya argued, queuing up her videos. "He totally saved that old lady from being hit by a car a few weeks ago!"

"That was _once_ ," Nino countered. "The guy is a troublemaker. He may be trying to help out, but really, he just causes more problems."

All three friends jumped at the sound of a heavy bookbag being dropped onto the empty chair.

Marinette looked up and was met with the most gorgeous person she had ever laid eyes on.

She had to be dreaming. Standing in front of her was a boy Marinette could only describe as… "Perfect."

Three pairs of eyes stared at her. Had she said that out loud?!

She flashed a smile, hoping her blush wasn't too bright. The boy merely gave her a cold look before turning around and walking back over to the teacher. She let out the breath she'd been holding.

Perfect, indeed. Light blonde hair, pale blue eyes, perfect build… She would bet money that he was a model, and if he wasn't, he should be; advertisers were losing out on potential profits. Marinette would buy anything featured in an ad with this gorgeous guy. The way he stood at the front of the classroom, waiting for the teacher, he had to be well-bred. Excellent manners, designer clothes… Marinette recognized his vest from the fashion show she'd seen on TV last week; it wasn't even available to the public yet! Who was this beautiful angel and where had he come from?

"Class, settle down," the teacher, Miss Bustier, was saying. "I know you're all still in summer-mode, but it's time to come back to earth and get ready to learn."

Several students groaned aloud.

"Now, now, settle down. Before we get to all of that, though, I'd like to introduce you to your new classmate," she said, gesturing to the beautiful blonde. "This is Félix Agreste–"

 _Did she say_ Agreste– _?! As in, famous designer Gabriel Agreste?_

"Oh my god, ADRIEN?!"

Chloé's shrill tone cut through Marinette's thoughts. The blonde had stood from her chair and run over to the tall boy, who looked less than thrilled to see her. "Oh, Adrien, it really is you!" she cooed, looping her arms around him.

Alya and Marinette shared a questioning glance.

"I haven't seen you in, like, forever!" Chloé shrieked. "Everyone, this is Adrien Agreste, son of the famous _Gabriel_ CEO and fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, of course. We were childhood sweethearts!"

Marinette felt her heart crack. How could this vision of perfection be in love with _Chloé_?!

Adrien gently pushed her arms away and took a step to the side. "We were childhood acquaintances," he corrected. "Our parents ran in the same social circles."

Marinette allowed herself to breathe again. Leave it to Chloé to exaggerate things. Still, this gave the snobby girl an excuse to hug him. Lucky.

"Yes, as I was saying," Miss Bustier continued, shooing Chloé back to her seat, "this is Félix Agreste, and this is his first time at Collège Françoise Dupont, so I want everyone to make him feel welcome. Félix, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"Firstly, I go by Adrien," he said, a hint of a scoff present in his tone. "Secondly… Well, you all already know that Gabriel Agreste is my father. I have been in a few of his shows, and I do quite a lot of modeling when not at school."

"Why have we never seen you in school before?" asked Kim, a brawny guy who sat near the back.

"Up until now, I was taught by private tutors," Adrien answered quietly.

"So… you were homeschooled," Kim said, clearly finding it amusing.

"Yes, I believe I just finished explaining that," Adrien replied dryly. Chloé shot Kim a dirty look for daring to make fun of her beloved.

The teacher glared at Adrien for his snarky remark, and when he said nothing further, she pointed him back to his chair. The chair in the row in front of Marinette.

She had to look at that luscious blond hair for the entire year? She was going to be completely useless in class, staring at the back of his head all day long…

"Uh, Mari, are you going to be all right?" Alya asked, noticing the girl's lovestruck look.

"Possibly," she sighed, watching Adrien move his bag and sit down in front of her.

She wasn't sure if her luck had gotten better… or worse.

* * *

:: :: ::

* * *

Worse, it seemed.

The week crawled past Marinette like a snail. If she wasn't bringing the wrong textbook to class, she was caught doodling in her sketchbook. She sat on wet gum during PE, missed out on the last slice of pie, was called to the board too many times… Thursday it rained, and she left the wet umbrella sitting out in the locker room to dry; when it came time to walk home, she found that someone had "borrowed" her umbrella. She had to walk home in the downpour. Chloé made sure to make it a big event, announcing to any passing student, how awful Marinette looked, comparing the poor girl to a drowned rat and laughing as she and Sabrina got into her limousine. Marinette could feel the weight of Adrien's gaze on her back as he, too, was chauffeured away in an expensive sports car. She wondered how pathetic she had looked then.

She guessed that she should feel lucky he noticed her at all. Something about even bad press being good press, right? Oh, _why_ did he have such an effect on her?

Marinette found it impossible to concentrate in any of her classes. Adrien sat in front of her in almost every subject, and even when he wasn't close enough for her to smell his expensive shampoo, he was still in the room and therefore within view. Perhaps it was a good thing that he practically ignored her; she already swooned when he walked into a room, so she could only imagine what might happen if he actually talked to her.

Of course, Adrien rarely talked to anyone. He mostly kept to himself, occasionally chatting with Nino, though never initiating. He also acknowledged Chloé, though he generally frowned at all of her ramblings; he openly refused to sit with her anywhere and constantly reminded her that they had never been, and never would be, sweethearts. Chloé never seemed to hear him.

By lunchtime Friday, Marinette was desperate for the weekend to arrive. Sure, she loved staring at Adrien all day, but she really needed a breather from the distraction that was Mr. Perfect. She found she actually studied better at home, away from him, though she found herself looking up his public photoshoot pictures from time to time. She really needed to get a grip.

"Girl, you've got it _bad_ ," Alya noted, following Marinette's eyes over to Adrien. He was sitting at a table by himself across the cantine. Nino had tried to sit with him on the first day, but the boy had refused, claiming he liked to eat alone. So Nino sat with the girls at their small table.

"I know," Marinette whined. "What am I supposed to do? He's _gorgeous_!"

"Women," Nino muttered, taking a bite of chicken. "The guy is clearly a loner. Why do you girls always fall for dark and mysterious? Don't you know it's a bad sign if a guy doesn't want to make friends? He barely talks to me. I try and try and try but he never gives! I'm always doing all of the talking!"

"At least he responds," Alya replied. "Err, sometimes. Mari, you haven't even touched your food! That's like the fourth time this week. Not eating isn't going to make him notice you."

She blushed and tore her gaze away from Adrien. "Sorry! I'll eat, I promise!" And she did; Marinette began cramming forkfuls of chicken into her mouth at an alarming rate.

"Why don't you just go talk to him?" Nino suggested.

Alya nodded. "Yeah! Ask him out for the weekend!"

Marinette choked noisily on her chicken, so noisily that even Adrien looked over and frowned. She downed an entire glass of water and coughed until she could breathe normally again. She could feel him continuing to glare at her, as if her coughing fit had disturbed his peaceful meal.

"Are you two _insane_?" she hissed. "He ignores me when I sit right behind him, why would he want to see me outside of school?"

"Because you're adorable," Alya supplied. "Plus, if you don't ask him out after school, I'll ask him for you."

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, looking wide-eyed with panic at Alya's triumphant face. It was then that she realized everyone in the cantine was staring at her, including Adrien.

She ducked her head and glared at Alya. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh but I am! Mari, you've been staring at that boy with googly-eyes all week; it's time you did something about it," the redhead stated. "Besides, you never know; he might say yes."

Marinette seriously doubted that, though she supposed it couldn't hurt to try. He already paid her no attention; what was the worst he could do, ignore her again?

* * *

She should have known better than to approach him with her recent stroke of bad luck.

When the last bell of the day rang, Marinette tried to leave school as quickly as possible. However, Alya hadn't forgotten the arrangement, and the girl quickly killed Marinette's plans of escape. Nino wished them good luck before heading home, something the dark-haired girl wished she was doing at the moment.

"Alyaaaa, you know I'm not good at this sort of thing," she complained, watching as her friend looked around the corner. She was keeping an eye out for the boy in question.

"You'll be fine, Mari. Just don't go all incoherent on the man, and it should be okay. The worst he can do is say No, right?"

"Exactly!" she squeaked. "He could say no!"

"At least you'll have tried and know for sure. Aha, there he is," Alya cheered, pushing her friend out into the hall. "Go get him!"

Knowing that Alya would just make a scene if she backed out, Marinette swallowed a huge gulp of air and attempted to gather some courage. But it never came. So it was with shaky legs that she approached Adrien, who was busy swapping out the textbooks in his bag.

She stopped a few feet away from him, with one last attempt to collect her thoughts. She wasn't given a chance though, as Adrien seemed to sense someone standing behind him. He whirled around to face the newcomer, and Marinette saw his eyes narrow just slightly when he realized who it was. When he noticed it was _her_.

After a moment of silence, Adrien raised his eyebrows, apparently waiting for her to say something.

"Umm, hi," she blurted, cringing inwardly at how stupid she must sound. Way to blow it already. Adrien offered no greeting in return, merely turning to shut his locker door before staring at her expectantly again.

"So, Adrien, how are you?" she finally managed to ask. Seeing his annoyed frown, she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, how are liking it _here_? You were homeschooled before, right? I always wondered what it was like to be homeschooled; I think it would be weird. I mean, not that _you're_ weird, of course! I just… I mean, it must be odd having your parents be your teachers and such…"

She saw his expression and hurried on, knowing what he was going to say. "I mean, _you_ were taught by tutors, I remember! But still, it must be different right? The school, the students… I guess being a model, you wouldn't have time for any of that. I saw your latest show!"

Marinette blushed heavily after admitting that last part. One of Adrien's eyebrows was beginning to twitch, so she plowed on. She had to get to the part where she asked him out!

"I mean, I saw it live on TV a few weeks ago, before I met you. You were wearing that same vest, right? Wait that sounded weird, didn't it? I just mean, I'm… into fashion? Yeah! I'm into fashion so I've watched all your shows, and, oh wait, that sounds weird too. I mean, I've been a huge fan of your father's for the longest time, but when I saw you in class I didn't realize it was you at first."

Marinette paused to catch her breath, realizing she was getting nowhere with this ramble of hers. Not only was Adrien's brow twitching, his whole body seemed tense.

"Anyway," she hurried, "we sit near each other in almost every class but we don't really know each other, and I thought maybe we could get to know each other better, since we'll be in class together for a whole year. I mean, I know you usually sit by yourself and don't say much, but I thought maybe if we got to know each other, you'd have someone else to talk to, and I think you're really awesome and cool and there's something about you that makes you interesting, and I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out this weekend for a coffee or something…?"

His pale blue eyes were studying her. Aside from the hand gripping his backpack tightly, Adrien gave no sign that he had even heard any of her ramblings. Marinette nervously twisted her fingers together, but his gaze held her in place. And what a gaze it was! She wanted to melt straight into the floor, a pile of mushy feelings.

Adrien shifted his bag higher onto his shoulder and brushed past her, stalking away.

She stood there in the middle of the hallway, watching him stalk all the way out of the building, where his car was no doubt waiting at the curb. Marinette continued to stand, frozen in place, long after most everyone else had left the school.

He had just… completely ignored her! No, it was worse than that. He had stood there, waiting for her to speak and blab about whatever it is that she was going to say. He had waited while she fumbled around her words. And then, without even giving an answer, he just walked away as if she had said nothing important at all!

Well, to someone like Adrien, Marinette supposed her words did indeed mean nothing to him.

"What the hell?!" Alya exploded, finally emerging from her spying corner. "How rude! Who does he think he is? Just because he's some rich, model prissy boy, he thinks he can treat you that way?! He didn't even bother saying No; he just walked off!"

Marinette blinked. That was true. Absolutely and completely true. She had been looking at this entirely the wrong way. _He hadn't said No._

"He didn't say No," she said softly, interrupting Alya's rant. "He didn't actually say… _no_."

A small smile graced her lips.

"Girl, you do realize you just got rejected, right?" the redhead asked, waving a hand in front of her face. "Are you mentally blocking out the part where he ignored you and stormed off?"

"I'm choosing to focus on the fact that he never actually refused," she replied, a goofy grin spreading across her face.

"He never actually said anything," Alya pointed out. "I think you're interpreting this the wrong way."

Marinette turned to her friend, startling her with such a bright smile after that horrible rejection. "I'm choosing to look on the bright side. You said earlier, ' _at least you'll know_.' Well, I _don't_ know… because he never gave me an answer one way or the other. Which means, I can try again next time."

Alya sighed. "I suppose I should just be glad you bounced right back, huh? I was expecting you to be a bit depressed."

Marinette just smiled and followed her friend out of the school.

She _was_ a bit depressed, but she didn't need Alya worrying over that. That rejection had been almost as bad as dealing with Chloé. To have him wait and listen, as if he was actually considering her words… only to find that he was merely playing with her, as if he was spitefully mocking her somehow. And yet…

She wanted to believe there was more than meets the pale blue eye with Adrien Agreste. The man was a mystery needing to be solved, and Marinette always loved a good-looking mystery. She at least wanted to be officially rejected; he could give her that much. As she and Alya parted ways, her thoughts slipped back to the distant blonde, and she felt her heart flutter. She'd get an answer, get him to notice her… one way or another. As she waited at a corner light, Marinette felt that maybe her luck was improving.

A delivery truck sped past, driving through yesterday's rain that had collected near the gutters. It splashed all over the dark-haired girl, covering her from head to toe in dirty water.

Okay, so perhaps her luck was as bad as ever.

* * *

:: :: ::

* * *

 _If you haven't seen the original Ladybug PV, you should totally check it out (remove the spaces and replace the slash): www. you tube . com (slash) watch?v=FlwV3scCgAM_

 _Especially as that video is the main inspiration for the character looks as well as Adrien's personality here, although they have been mixed with their 3D animation counterparts in my mind._


	2. Snake Eyes

:: :: ::

* * *

Adrien Agreste had always thought of himself as a lucky guy.

He had a wonderful life. His family consisted of a loving mother and a hard-working father. He lived in a mansion near the Eiffel Tower in one of Paris's wealthiest districts. He was tutored by some of the most brilliant minds in all of France. He had a successful modeling career ahead of him. Everything was perfect.

Everything in his life _had_ been perfect. Until Chat Noir came along, bringing with him the bad luck of black cats everywhere.

Adrien sighed and leaned back into the leather cushion of his seat.

He had just wrapped up yet another photoshoot for _Gabriel_ , modeling the line's latest dress shirts for men. Nathalie Sancoeur, his father's personal assistant, was telling the driver to head back home. Personal assistant… more like a babysitter, Adrien scoffed inwardly. He was fourteen years old, almost fifteen; he could handle a photoshoot by himself. But nooo, his father insisted on keeping at eye on him when out in public; he was thankful at least that Nathalie didn't follow him to school. There, he only had to worry about his teachers reporting anything to his father.

Gabriel Agreste hadn't always been so… cold. The two had never had a doting father-son-relationship, but they had certainly been on better terms.

Of course, that was before last year. Before Chat Noir reared his ugly feline face.

Before Adrien was cursed with a Miraculous ring he couldn't remove. Before his bad luck had caused problems for those around him. Before his mother died and his father hardened with grief.

As soon as they had parked in front of the Agreste Mansion, Adrien exited the car and headed straight for his room. He didn't want to be bothered for a while; not that he was expecting any of the household staff to ask how his day was, but all the same, he preferred his privacy.

Things had been different back when his mother was still alive. She had been the glue that held the family together. Without her, Adrien felt he barely knew his father anymore. Gabriel Agreste was always working, out at the office, out at a shoot, off on a work trip to Milan. He saw his father maybe once or twice a month these days.

Though Adrien didn't mind much. After his wife's funeral, Gabriel had basically turned his back on his son. There was a rift between them. Whenever he did see his father, the man was strict and demanding; all business and no nonsense. He had pushed Adrien into modeling. He controlled Adrien's diet, wardrobe, activities. Adrien considered it a bizarre miracle that he was allowed to attend a school.

His tutors had noticed his withdrawing personality, and with their combined advice, Gabriel had relented and allowed his son to attend a prestigious collège, so long as he remained at the top of the class and didn't miss any modeling events. Fencing was the only club Adrien was allowed to participate in, and he was thankful for that.

Once his bedroom door was closed and locked, Adrien shrugged out of his suit jacket and slumped into his desk chair. "All right, Plagg, I suppose you can come out now."

A small black blob of a sprite flew out of Adrien's inner jacket pocket. "Whew, finally! Do you know how hot and sweaty it gets in there with you under all of those special lights? I thought I was going to die!"

Adrien glared at the little cat kwami with nothing but contempt. "If you don't like it, why don't you go bother some other unfortunate soul?"

Plagg rolled his beady eyes, floating around the blonde's head. "You know I can't do that."

"You could pick someone else!"

Can't do that either," the kwami replied loftily. "I didn't pick you, the Miraculous did. You are one of the biggest whiners I've ever met. But you do have delicious cheese…"

"Well, the Miraculous needs to pick someone else," Adrien said testily, switching on his computer. "If this keeps up, I'm sure to be caught! You were there; you saw what happened this last time. That gambler guy nearly killed me! And running away only got me on some girl's blog getting whacked by a broom! I thought you said I was supposed to get better with practice?!"

Plagg laughed, clutching his sides with his tiny paws. "Oh, that was too hilarious! You really do have the worst luck, don't you?" he asked innocently.

Adrien didn't look up from his computer, where he was debating whether or not to start on his homework. "It's _your_ fault, you know! I wouldn't be plagued by such terrible luck if it weren't for you."

"You're welcome," Plagg replied smugly, diving into the bowl of cheese on the nightstand.

It was useless talking to the kwami. Plagg thought Adrien should be _thanking_ him. Chance of a lifetime to transform into a superhero. A million boys would kill to be in his position. Adrien found himself wondering if he would kill to get out of it.

 _No, don't think about that_ , he reminded himself. After all, he'd been there and done that, and he was obviously still cursed.

"You're gripping that pen awfully hard," Plagg noted in a quiet voice.

Adrien glanced down to find that his knuckles were turning white. He quickly dropped the pen and let out a huge sigh. He flexed his fingers, the ring on his right hand glinting in the fading sunlight.

The Cat Miraculous. The source of all his misery.

At one point, he had considered cutting off his middle finger. He had chickened out, of course. It was around that time when Plagg had decided his Miraculous holder was nuts.

"You _will_ get better, you know," the kwami spoke up, hovering nearby. "While you've had the ring almost a year, you really only started transforming about a few months ago. And you rarely go out; you should make it a routine."

Adrien had had this crazy idea that, perhaps if he used his super powers to do good in the world, it would make up for all of the bad things that happened around him. Unfortunately, he brought the bad luck with him on these excursions. He'd barely managed to save that old lady, his one actual heroic act. Everything else was just him trying to do the right thing but causing problems for everyone else. Rescue a baby, cause a five-car-wreck. Thwart a robbery, an innocent person gets injured.

"It doesn't seem to make a difference; I only cause more problems," he grumbled. "Besides, it still doesn't help me in my personal life! Misfortune follows me everywhere, remember? Even when I'm not transformed."

"It probably wasn't the best idea to go to school," Plagg agreed.

Adrien spun around in his chair, fully annoyed now. "That had already been decided. Do you know how long I've waited to be able to go to a real school? To get out of this house? No, of course you don't. Your only concern is _cheese_."

Plagg _was_ right though; the timing of the situation couldn't have been worse. If he had stayed homeschooled, there would be less people to interact with. Less potential victims of misfortune. But Adrien knew this was his only chance to escape the house; he had to take it. He couldn't spend all of his days inside the mansion forever. And so he had foolishly put everyone else at risk to enjoy his bit of freedom.

So far, nothing too terrible had happened to his classmates. True, he'd only been in school for a week, but sometimes even just a moment was all it took.

It seemed that most of the bad luck had struck one person in particular: the girl who sat behind him.

Nino sat closest to Adrien, directly next to him, and was therefore in the most danger. So Adrien talked with him as little as he could whenever possible. Unfortunately for Adrien, Nino's father worked in the movies and was an acquaintance of Gabriel's. Which meant he had to humor Nino at times. Adrien supposed the guy was likeable enough, which was exactly why he wanted to avoid him and spare him the rotten luck.

Adrien tried to do the same with the girls behind him. Alya was easy enough; she was already the farthest from him, and she didn't appear as interested in talking with him.

But Marinette…

Adrien made extra effort to avoid that girl and yet she kept coming back. He'd seen every single bad thing that had happened to her that week. He would have felt sorry for her, if she hadn't been so damn annoying.

She was ditzy, too cheerful, overly loud… just another one of his fangirls. She was one of those bop bags that kept bouncing back up no matter how many times they were hit. He had given zero indication that he was interested in talking to her, yet she had barreled on with her spluttering, finally getting to the point and asking him out.

As if he wanted to spend any more time with her when he didn't have to. Even if he wanted to be friends, his rotten luck would kick in sooner or later, and she'd be involved in a terrible accident or something. He wouldn't put anyone in that position, not even her.

"You know," Plagg spoke up, "if _your_ only concern was cheese, you wouldn't have such problems."

Normally, such a remark from the kwami would piss him off even further, but Adrien had already reached that point today. "With my luck, the cheese would be stale."

"But that's the best kind!"

Adrien might have laughed, if he didn't blame Plagg as part of the root of his problems. Instead, he shut his computer off, knowing that no homework was getting done tonight. He'd wait until most everyone was asleep, and then he'd become Chat Noir again, heading out to enact his plan.

He hadn't told Plagg about his plan. It was a risky, dangerous, perhaps even deadly plan. But Adrien thought he might be willing to risk his life to have this ring removed from his finger.

* * *

Previously, Adrien had gone out looking for problems to fix. He would sneak out of the mansion, transform into Chat Noir, and attempt to do some good. Rarely did things end perfectly well; someone was usually injured, Adrien or an innocent bystander. And while he usually _did_ save the baby or thwart the robbery, the public didn't seem to want to thank him. Though he couldn't really blame them, with all of the extra chaos he caused. Adrien thought perhaps it was time to give up the vigilante act.

But the other night, right before school had started, something different happened. Chat Noir had just begun a nightly patrol of the city, when a drunkard was thrown out of a casino. Nothing remarkable about that, but the shouting had initially caught his perceptive hearing. Seeing nothing unusual, he had shrugged and turned to be on his way. He had only leapt over one rooftop when he heard the screams.

Casino patrons were running out of the building chaotically. He heard something that sounded like gunfire coming from inside. He leaned over the edge of the roof, hesitating.

 _Now's your chance!_ Plagg's voice rang out from within his mind.

"But… but this is _guns_! I'd rather not find out if I have nine lives, thank you very much!"

 _Something tells me this isn't a regular robbery_ , came the reply.

Sighing with frustration, the golden-haired feline jumped to the ground, almost landing perfectly on his feet that time. He quickly made his way through the throngs of terrified people and into the casino.

The place had been taken over by pandemonium. People were running around in a mass panic, staff was either on the phone, evacuating, or attempting to stop greedy patrons from stealing. Adrien was so overwhelmed by the madness that he almost turned around and ran back out.

"WE'LL SEE WHO'S CALLING WHO A CHEATER NOW, WON'T WE?" a voice boomed from the right.

Adrien ran into the room where most of the tabletop games were held.

He immediately had to duck as a pair of dice flew over his head. They hit the wall behind him, exploding and showering plaster everywhere. The force sent Adrien stumbling into a table and ramming his knee against the corner. Wincing in pain, he looked up to find one of the most bizarre scenes he'd ever encountered.

A few dealers had been unable to escape and were hiding behind a stack of Craps tables. A large man was standing opposite them, and Adrien thought he looked like a weird Shakespearean actor. The man glared at him.

"What do we have here? A pussycat? You think you can defeat Black Jack?" he asked, pulling a deck of cards from his long sleeve. "The odds are stacked against you!"

He threw cards at Adrien as if they were knives. Feline reflexes kicking in, he narrowly managed to dodge them, and as the cards sliced right into the wall, he realized they probably _were_ knives. The man had just called himself Black Jack, hadn't he? Well, he did look like a card knave, now that Adrien thought about it. The dealers had snuck out to safety during the distraction, and now the two were alone, so at least no innocent bystanders would get hurt this time. But what was he supposed to do?! He had never fought against a proper villain!

 _Use the staff!_

Adrien pulled his metal staff from its clip on the back of his suit. Of course, leave it to Plagg to tell him to use a weapon he had yet to master. The kwami had argued that it was just like fencing, but Adrien knew it was more complicated than that. Then again, he supposed Plagg did have a point: his fencing skills helped… a little.

Extending it, he charged at the man. Black Jack dealt out more sharp cards which Adrien clumsily swung at with his staff. He deflected most of them and dodged the rest, though one card did graze over his head, taking a few hairs with it. Black Jack had clearly not expected to miss, since he hadn't bothered backing away. So he was in perfect position for Adrien to whack him across the chest. Black Jack was sent flying off his feet into a slot machine in the next room.

"Seems you've been dealt a bad hand," Adrien stated, a bit more confident. "Maybe you should fold now while you still can." He cracked a smile at his own joke.

"Think you're lucky do you?" the knave asked, grunting as his stood up. "Try your hand at the slots!" With a wave of his hand, the slot machine was pulled from the floor, bolts flinging in every direction.

Adrien barely had time to register the flying machine before it crashed into him, smashing him into the pile of Craps tables. Pain was everywhere in his body, and it took all of his strength to push the slot off himself. He could barely stand when he heard another slot being pried from the ground.

With speed he didn't know he had, Adrien jumped over the machine as it whizzed under him. "Multi-armed bandit, I see," he quipped, leaping over another slot. "Two can play at that game!"

Adrien broke his staff in half, chucking each piece at Black Jack. Despite his size, the man easily evaded both attacks, before tossing more exploding dice Adrien's way, sending the cat running. He ran around the room twice, avoiding dice until one of the explosions rocked him off his feet. Rolling off the ground, he leapt onto a table and faced Black Jack, who was reaching into his sleeve for more weapons.

 _Do it now, Adrien!_

He had never used his superpower before. Plagg had briefly mentioned it once, but after hearing that it would cause his transformation to wear off, Adrien hadn't wanted to try it. He didn't want to use it now either, but he was running out of options. This guy seemed to be some sort of supervillain with powers, and he wasn't sure what else to do. _Here goes nothing…_

" _Cataclysm!_ " he cried, thrusting his hand into the air. Black magic seemed to surround it, and Adrien looked around for a target.

He jumped into the air and pressed his hand against the ceiling. The plaster and boards begin to crumble and crack, falling on top of Black Jack and pinning him to the ground. Adrien landed and stared at the man's body, unsure if he had successfully knocked him out or not.

Brushing the debris off, Black Jack sat up slowly, staring at Adrien strangely.

"Chat Noir," he mused. "So you appear at last."

Adrien froze. He had mentioned his name a few times when out "saving the day," but rarely did people bother to remember it. Also, the way Black Jack said it… Adrien felt a chill run up his spine. He could sense Plagg's discomfort.

"I'll give you a chance to hand the ring over now," the man continued, reaching out his arm. "No one gets hurt. Just surrender and come with me."

 _He knew_.

Adrien could find no other explanation: this man knew about the Miraculous. He could feel Plagg practically bristling with fear. No one else knew about the Miraculous, unless… _He's another Miraculous holder!_

 _Be wary, Adrien. This man is merely a puppet, possessed by an evil spirit called an akuma,_ Plagg warned. _The puppet-master is Hawk Moth, and he has been after the Miraculous for some time._

So this Hawk Moth had a Miraculous too… but he was using it for evil purposes. No doubt a dangerous man, probably untrustworthy too.

 _Run_ , Plagg ordered. _You cannot defeat the akuma, not yet._

So Adrien ran. Black Jack gave chase. Thankfully, Adrien was smaller and faster, leaping over rooftops with ease. That is, until he slipped and fell onto someone's balcony, broke their flower pots, and then was beaten with a broom.

School had started the next day, and so Adrien had had to wait before acting on his plan. It was too hard to sneak out of the mansion on a school night, but Saturday night was the perfect time. His father was always away on business, and Nathalie had gone home for the day. _Tonight is purr-fect._

Plagg hadn't elaborated further on the akuma. The kwami had only told him that Hawk Moth wanted to use the Miraculous for selfish reasons.

Adrien, in turn, hadn't told Plagg of his plan. His selfish, horrible plan.

For Hawk Moth had to be another Miraculous holder. _"Surrender and come with me,"_ Black Jack had said. Which meant that Hawk Moth knew Adrien couldn't remove the ring himself. Only another Miraculous holder could remove it.

Which, in Adrien's opinion, was the stupidest thing he had ever heard of. So no, he didn't consider his cat ring a gift. It was a curse that affected Adrien and everyone around him. He hadn't improved anyone's lives with his acts of heroism.

As far as he was concerned, Hawk Moth could have the Miraculous. After all, it wasn't like the villain could do much with it. It would just bring him bad luck.

Tonight, Adrien would go out 'patrolling' again. And when he found Black Jack, who'd been awfully quiet the entire week biding his time, Adrien would surrender, and then he would be rid of this accursed ring once and for all.

* * *

:: :: ::

* * *

Marinette slumped over the glass counter in relief as the last customer of the day left the bakery.

The first week of the new school year had taken its toll on her, and she was ready to kick back and relax over the weekend. While she was happy to be in the same class as Alya again, sitting next to each other, she knew this last year of collège would be tough. At the end of the year, they would take the _brevet_ exam, and while the results didn't fully decide if a student progressed to lycée or not, it was an important factor. She was a good student, but it was still extra pressure. Not to mention she hadn't been able to concentrate all week due to that handsome slice of chromosomes called Adrien Agreste.

"Mari, thanks for helping out in the shop today," her mother called, flipping the sign and locking the door. "I know working isn't how you wanted to start the weekend, but I really appreciate it."

She smiled. "Sure thing, Mama."

She must have said it halfheartedly, since her mother was shooting her a worried glance. "Everything okay, honey?"

Marinette slid off the stool behind the register and helped her mother put away the unsold pastries and breads. "Everything's fine," she said. "It's just been a bad week; not exactly how I pictured starting the new year, you know? I had a boatload of rotten luck."

Her mother smiled. "You're in need of a good-luck charm, then? I think I have just the thing."

Puzzled, Marinette followed her mother out of the bakery and up the back stairs to their apartment. Her father was in the shower, rinsing off a long day of flour and icing. They stopped in a corner of the living room where her mother's desk sat. When Sabine Cheng had married Tom Dupain, she gave up her full-time job as a merchant jeweler to run the bakery. But she kept the jewelry as a side job and hobby, so her desk was cluttered with earring backs, bracelet clamps, precious stones, and other ends and odds. Her mother gestured to the cardboard box sitting on the edge of the desk.

"I picked up these pieces the other day at an estate sale," she said. "Perhaps you could find something fashionable in here?"

Marinette hugged her mother warmly. The woman always knew just how to cheer her up. A lucky charm, just what she needed to start a good weekend! "Thanks, Mama," she said, taking the box upstairs to her loft room.

She set the box on her desk next to the computer. Then she changed out of her clothes and into some pink pajamas before flopping onto her bed. Checking her phone, she found she had a few texts from Alya.

" _Girl, I really hope you aren't upset. Call me if you need anything."_

" _Mari, I seriously hope you haven't shut yourself up in that tower of yours. That boy isn't worth it!"_

" _Did you die over there? Or are your parents making you work again? Let me know ASAP or else I'll have to assume you died from Adrien-withdrawals."_

She let out a dry chuckle before texting Alya back. _"Everything's fine, stop overreacting. Yes, I was working. I'll see you at the library tomorrow morning."_

She dropped her phone onto the bed and sat up, looking around lazily. Her eyes brushed over the stack of magazines in her wicker basket. She quickly stood and walked over, snatching the latest edition of _La Mode_ from the top of the pile.

It was Adrien Agreste, looking as bored and as dashingly- _fine_ as ever. She carefully cut the cover page off the magazine and tacked it to her wall. Something about his eyes… Marinette thought he looked a bit lonely. Big house, busy father, no friends… maybe he was just shy? Though he'd rejected her coldly, Marinette was ever the optimist. She just wanted to see his real personality, whether he turned out to be a shy boy or a mean bully like Chloé, she just wanted to know the real Adrien. She had a feeling she had her work cut out for her.

She cut out a few more magazine pages that featured the model, placing them carefully on her pale purple walls. He had that same distant look on his face in most of his photoshoots, though she did manage to find a few where he was smiling, albeit slightly. Marinette took a moment to admire her handiwork before approaching the box her mother had given her to look through.

It wasn't jam-full, but it did have a nice assortment of eclectic pieces. She could probably make a cute charm bracelet or necklace from something in here. Her eyes caught a pretty pink stone; it would look perfect hanging from a thin, silver chain! She dug around to see if she could find one.

Something red and bright glinted at her from under a box of loose beads. Marinette pulled a small ring box out of the random assortment and sat back on her chair, staring at what she held in her hand.

The box itself was nothing remarkable; a plain red base with a clear, attached lid. However, the box somehow felt warm in the palm of her hand. She opened it, admiring the pair of earrings inside.

They were simple red domes with five black spots on each earring. They reminded her of ladybugs.

Marinette sensed a hint of something in the air, and she felt as if something was about to happen. This feeling of anxiety…

She put down the earrings and grabbed the box, taking it back downstairs. "Mama, you're sure I can have anything from this box?"

"Of course, Mari. Just leave it there when you're done," her mother's voice replied from the kitchen.

"All right then," she answered hesitantly. She started back up to her room. "I'm taking the red earrings."

She had barely registered her mother's reply of "What earrings?" when Marinette re-entered her room to find the earrings still on her desk, now _glowing_.

She gently closed the trapdoor behind her and slowly approached the desk, mesmerized by the small red jewels. Were they supposed to glow in the dark? Did they have tiny batteries inside? She wasn't sure batteries that small existed, and there certainly wasn't room for any kind of light. She carefully took the earrings out of the ring box and held them in her hand.

They were definitely giving off a warm glow. Marinette stared at them a while longer, unsure of what to do.

 _You could try them on_ , she told herself. _No need to be scared of a pair of earrings!_

Standing in front of her vanity mirror, Marinette removed her pink stone earrings, placing them in her jewelry box. With one final look at the small circles, she quickly put on the ladybug earrings and held her breath.

Nothing happened. They continued to glow from their new place on her ears. They actually looked rather cute. She twisted her neck this way and that to admire them.

"Super cute," she told herself. "And here I was thinking they were possessed or something."

" _Well, technically, they are~"_

Marinette shrieked and looked around for the person who had suddenly invaded her room. Her mother called up, asking if everything was all right. Seeing no one, she quickly reassured her mother everything was fine. "It's all right," she called back, thinking of an excuse. "I just saw a really big spider…"

"I'm actually a ladybug, you know."

Marinette barely restrained herself from screaming again. Still seeing no one else in the room, she realized the voice was coming from _inside her earrings!_ She put her ear up next to the mirror, trying to examine the earring properly.

Something was _moving inside_.

"What… what are you?!" she demanded, reaching up to remove the jewelry.

"Don't!" the little voice squeaked. "Don't be afraid~ everything is all right."

She twisted her head this way and that to see better. There was something inside… a tiny… _bug?!_ "I think I had one too many macarons. All the sugar has gone straight to my imagination." She reached up to take the jewelry off.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but you won't be able to remove it," the little voice hummed.

 _Just try and stop me_ , she thought, amused. She wasn't as terrified as she had first been, but she wanted to examine the pieces more closely, to see whatever was living inside. Perhaps it was attached to a tiny microphone, and Alya was playing a weird joke on her.

But sure enough, she found she could not remove the earrings. The backs had seemingly disappeared. Marinette ran her fingers over the domes but could not pry them from her skin. They were permanently attached by some cosmic force.

"I must be dreaming. That's it," she told herself, stepping away from the mirror. "I've had a long, bad day, and it's finally gotten to me. When I wake up tomorrow, everything will be back to normal." She took a deep breath. "Is it asking too much to find that Adrien's rejection was a dream, too?"

The tiny voice cleared its throat. "Ah, I don't know about any Adrien, but I am most certainly not going anywhere. Now if you promise not to freak out, let's meet face to face~"

Her jaw dropped and closed several times. Well, she supposed she had no other choice. Tentatively, she nodded.

Marinette watched in anxious fascination as the jewelry shone brightly and a small red creature materialized out of the left earring. It floated around her head to rest in front of her face.

She didn't really know what sort of thing it was, though the first word that came to mind was _ladybug_. It was sort of a weird ladybug-looking fairy-alien thing, and it was smiling at her most adorably.

"Hello~ My name's Tikki," it introduced.

She had no response to such a statement. After all, what could she say to an alien bug that just popped out of her ear?!

Finally, she wondered if the little bug was waiting for her to respond, so it was with a confused tone that she replied, "Marinette…"

They continued to stare at each other for a while longer, Tikki enjoying itself and Marinette looking stupid. At last she found her voice again.

"I… err, what exactly are you?"

Tikki flew around her room, making several loops. "I'm a kwami! _Your_ kwami, more specifically, Marinette."

" _My_ kwami?" the girl asked, slack-jawed. "But what's… what _is_ a kwami?"

Tikki giggled. "Something _miraculous~_ ," it responded, still giggling at something. "Why don't you just transform and find out?"

"I… what? _Transform?_ Transform how? Into what?" she asked, each answer making her even more confused. As if an alien bug flying out of her ear wasn't confusing enough. She supposed she hadn't passed out yet simply because she refused to believe that any of this was real.

"Just say, _Transformation: Ladybug!_ and you'll understand," it hummed. Marinette was getting annoyed by how it seemed to be so pleased with itself, while she was a pile of questions, knowing virtually nothing.

But she figured, _What the heck. This day can't get any weirder._ Perhaps the creature would turn into an ordinary ladybug, and she would wake up and the entire ordeal would be just one bizarre dream. She cleared her throat.

"With feeling," Tikki added.

Marinette rolled her eyes but complied, giving into the weirdness, and she threw her arms into the air. " _Transformation: Ladybug!_ "

* * *

:: :: ::

* * *

The previous night felt like a dream still. After she had spoken those two words, that magical chant, Marinette had entered into a mystical contract with the being known as Tikki, whom she subsequently discovered was in fact female ( _so stop calling it an it_ , she told herself).

When she had spoken those words, Marinette had gone away. She had transformed into a superhero called _Ladybug_.

And it had been amazing.

"Mari, what are you smiling about?" Alya asked, interrupting her thoughts. They were supposed to be working on math problems together. Marinette grinned sheepishly.

"I had a good dream."

"About Adrien?" the redhead smirked knowingly.

Marinette blushed. _Not exactly_ , she thought, but she rolled with it. "Mm-hmm."

"Yeah, well, while you were off in dreamland, I was out getting some interesting video," Alya said suggestively. "Girl, I called you like four times! Must have been some dream."

She hadn't slept through the calls… Marinette hadn't been home to answer. Of course, she couldn't exactly tell Alya she had been busy running across the rooftops of Paris, testing out her new Ladybug skills.

"We, uhh, we were getting married," she lied quickly, glancing at the clutch hanging on her chair back. She guessed the kwami was still safe inside, happily munching on cookies.

With her love of sweets, Marinette suddenly wondered if Tikki had chosen her simply because she lived in a bakery. _"The Miraculous chose you, Marinette. It looked into your heart and saw that you were worthy,"_ Tikki had told her last night. Still, she had to wonder if perhaps the bakery didn't factor in just a little.

"Dang, girl, you fell fast and hard," Alya laughed. "Just be smart, okay? I don't want him breaking your heart. I'll have to break his legs…"

Marinette felt a surge of affection for Alya, and she immediately felt horrible for being unable to tell her lifelong best friend about last night's events, and about everything _Ladybug_ that was sure to come. But she couldn't, not yet anyway. Maybe after she felt a bit more comfortable in her ability to transform into a superhero.

After transforming, Marinette had felt a little spark inside herself. She didn't know how to explain it, but Tikki seemed to understand. _That's Ladybug_ , _that's how you know you are the right choice to hold the Miraculous, Marinette. That feeling inside, with that, you can do anything._

Faith, Tikki had called it. All she had to do was believe in herself, and everything would turn out all right. The luck of a ladybug.

She had been skeptical at first, certainly. She had suddenly undergone a change and was stuck in a red, black-spotted spandex suit which seemed to be attached to her, much as the earrings were. Tikki essentially had been absorbed into the Miraculous earrings and transformed Marinette, lending her the look and powers of Ladybug, her new super-alter-ego. "But I can't be a superhero," she had argued, looking at herself in the mirror. "I'm just Marinette. Marinette in a red suit and mask." But Tikki was insistent.

So Marinette had ventured up onto her terrace and tested out the yo-yo. It was also red with black spots, and it was miraculous, indeed. It could extend to any length Marinette imagined. It was made of a light, unearthly material but had the power to break wood. She wasn't sure it could dent steel, but it definitely wasn't an ordinary yo-yo. The string with thin and yet it could hold her entire weight.

She also found that as Ladybug, she could run faster and jump higher than any normal person. And she was graced with the luck of ladybugs everywhere.

"Don't worry, Alya! I haven't gone that far off the deep end," she said. "It was just a good dream. I needed it after this week."

"Yeah, you hit a nasty streak of luck," she agreed. Then her face turned serious. "But back to last night! I was out trying to get more footage of Chat Noir."

Marinette thought she saw her white purse twitch. She glanced at Alya, but the girl was looking down at her phone. _Chat Noir_. That was the doof who fell off the balcony last weekend, from Alya's video. Why did that name sound so familiar now?

"Well, what did you get?" she asked, still watching the purse out of the corner of her eye.

"I didn't actually get any footage," Alya grumbled. "It was too dark, and they were moving too fast. But! I don't think it was Chat Noir I saw last night. I think it was someone else jumping across rooftops this time."

Marinette swallowed thickly. "O-oh?" she inquired, her voice cracking. "What do you mean?"

Alya had a glint in her eye. "I think Chat Noir has some competition for Paris's vigilante title. Some _female_ competition."

Marinette tried to keep her blushing to a minimum. Though, if Alya was comparing Ladybug to Chat Noir, that didn't say much. She hoped she wouldn't be bumbling around Paris like that doofus.

"At least, I'm pretty sure it was a woman," the redhead continued. "Slim build anyway. I think her costume was red, too. Either way, definitely not Chat Noir."

Chat Noir. Marinette wondered if she'd run into him at some point. She only hoped he could either improve his skills and hold his own or that he wouldn't interfere at all; she didn't need to waste time saving his wanna-be-heroic-ass while fighting evil.

Tikki had briefly mentioned that there was an evil man after the Miraculous. Hawk Moth, she had called him. Tikki explained that the Hawk Moth identity had been around for a long time, just like Ladybug. Marinette deduced that this Moth guy probably also had some sort of Miraculous power, though Tikki couldn't answer on that. However, she knew that only another Miraculous holder could remove her own, so if Hawk Moth thought he had a chance of stealing her earrings… She would have to be wary around him. But Miraculous were supposed to help the world, not destroy it. So if Hawk Moth had a Miraculous of his own, why was it helping him commit crimes? She'd have to ask Tikki about it again another time.

"So what're you gonna do about Adrien?" Alya was asking. Marinette sat up in her chair, trying to look as if she had been paying attention.

"Err, umm, what do you mean?"

"You said you're going to ask him out again. Why bother?" Alya asked, closing her textbook. "The guy's clearly a prick."

"Alya!" she hissed, shooting a glance at the group of children over in the nearby reading center. "Language…"

"I'm sure they've heard worse on TV," they girl replied, shrugging. "But for real, Marinette. The guy has a stick up his as–"

" _Alya!_ "

"–a stick up his _you-know-what_ , then! Seriously, Mari, you picked the worst guy to fall in love with."

Her face turned beet-red. "I'm not _in love_ with him," she hurried to correct. "He's just… dreamy, all right?"

Alya rolled her eyes. "If you say so. Still, of all the attractive guys at our school… You know what Chloé said; they were childhood friends. If he warms up to anyone, it will probably be her."

Marinette hung her head dejectedly. "Yeah, I know… But you've seen how he treated her; he always pushes her away in the end. Maybe he's just a quiet guy who has to act like he doesn't care about anything!"

Alya gave her a hard look. "That's so cliché, Mari. You know that sort of stuff only happens in anime, right?"

 _Yeah, well, I've got the Magical Girl part down, so, we're not too far off_ , she mused.

And on that note, Marinette resolved to think about all of that _later_ and focus on her homework and Alya right now.

Ladybug would return later tonight.

* * *

:: :: ::

* * *

At last, the Agreste household was dark and quiet. Just the way Adrien liked it. Still, he would give it another five minutes.

He finished reading _Sherlock Holmes_ for the umpteenth time and noisily closed the hardcover. He stood and stretched, looking over at his library wall. One entire wall of his room was covered in books; not only that, but he also had a balcony built so that he could reach the higher ones. Right now, Plagg was flying around the upper shelves, no doubt doing something he shouldn't. Adrien sighed and walked over, climbing up and replacing the book into its permanent spot within the _D_ s. Adrien had had most of these books his whole life. They had been his constant companions growing up without friends; drifting off into the world of books had been a welcomed escape from his lonely childhood.

He supposed they still were. For even though he now had the opportunity to meet people and make friends, he still had Chat Noir to worry about.

 _Not for long_ , he reminded himself. He almost smiled.

Then a pile of books fell onto his head, courtesy of Plagg.

The little cat kwami flitted around his head, making kissy faces at the boy. Adrien glared and crossed his arms, not at all impressed with Plagg's antics.

"Do you want Camembert later or not?"

The effect was instantaneous, the kwami apologetic and tearful. "Ah, it was just a little prank! I didn't mean it, really! How could you come between a kwami and his cheese?! You're so cruel to me…"

Adrien finished putting back the books Plagg had knocked over. "You'll get over it. Right now, we have more important matters. Plagg, transform me!"

Although he had transformed many times already, Adrien still wasn't quite used to the feeling. It was almost like jumping into a pool and feeling the water wash over him, the water of a black leather suit. He flexed his gloved, clawed hands and swished his belt tail. His ears twitched and grew black fur, somehow ending up high on his head. His hair became gold and shaggy, and he even felt his teeth shift slightly in response.

After checking to make sure his door was firmly locked, Adrien snuck out his bedroom window and began leaping across rooftops. He had no idea what Black Jack had been up to for the past week, but he would start from square one, back at the casino. Plagg could apparently sense he was headed in that direction.

 _What are you doing? I told you, you can't defeat the akuma._

"I'm not trying to defeat him," he huffed, climbing over a stack of chimneys.

 _Then why go looking for him? Just what are you up to?_

Adrien chose not to answer. He suspected Plagg would figure it out sooner or later. Not that it mattered, for as far as he knew, there was no way Plagg could stop him. The transformation seemed to only wear off if Adrien wanted it to, if he used his power, or if someone removed his ring.

And if Plagg _could_ pull away… well, Adrien could only hope the little kwami would be too late.

 _Why are you looking for him? He's just going to try to deliver you to Hawk Moth again– No, you aren't! ADRIEN!_

Ah, he had forgotten that luck wasn't a friend to him. Well, maybe not forgotten so much as ignored… But he pressed on.

"You said it yourself, Plagg," he muttered, leaping over another chimney. "Only another Miraculous user can remove my ring. And I just can't handle this right now. You picked the wrong guy."

 _You can't hand me over to Hawk Moth! He's evil! People will die, Adrien!_

"People have already died," he growled.

 _Trust the Miraculous, Adrien, you were meant to have it! Just wait and see!_

But Adrien was tired of waiting. Who else had to be unlucky, who else was going to get in trouble because of him. Who else had to _die_ for Plagg to realize? The Miraculous had clearly made a mistake in selecting Adrien Agreste. Just because he was rich and had a good stash of smelly cheese, that shouldn't qualify him to be the ring bearer. Plagg needed to get his priorities straight.

He did feel a smidge guilty about handing Plagg over to a villain. But Adrien told himself to look at the bigger picture. Gaining an unlucky ring wouldn't really help Hawk Moth, but it would free Adrien and those around him of the burden. Why couldn't Plagg see that?

"How many more people have to suffer? How much longer do you want me to wait?" he argued angrily, pausing on a roof to catch his breath. "It's been months and I'm as unlucky as ever!"

A high-pitched yelp broke the quiet night atmosphere. Adrien whirled around; surely someone screaming was a good indicator that Black Jack was nearby. Then again, it could also just be trouble.

 _I don't think you'll have to wait any longer…_

Feeling Plagg's nudge, Adrien glanced up at the sky.

There, outlined against the full moon, was a woman leaping through the air. He could see the unbridled joy on her face, the spring in her step, and he realized she had been crying out in excitement rather than fear. She was wearing a red full-body suit, though he could see some sort of pattern on it. Her blue hair flying out behind her in pigtails, she practically glided over the chimneys. He watched, mesmerized, as she landed gracefully on a nearby rooftop. She twirled around victoriously before cartwheeling over a weather vane and flipping off the roof.

Adrien felt as if his eyes were as wide as saucers. He let out a low whistle. " _Meee-ow~!_ " Every nerve in his body buzzed with anticipation. Just who _was_ that?

 _That,_ Plagg told him smugly, _is your lucky break_.

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 _Thanks to everyone who is reading, watching, and reviewing!_


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